Did a Western Civilization even exist in the post-classical era? How would it have been defined?
Western Civilization (as we know it) only came into existence with the decline of the classical era. Western Civ is often loosely defined as a melding of classical (primarily Latin at first, but also Greek), Germanic and Judeo-Christian cultures. The first recognizable examples arose in early medieval Italy, France and Norman England…with a nod to Ireland. The saxons largely destroyed Latin culture in England, which was indirectly re-introduced by the Normans (though Anglo-Saxon culture always retained a greater early Germanic influence than France). France and Italy were torn between a variety of cultures and influences until they began to coalesce with Papal backing. Spain had a “proto-western” culture, but it was largely wiped out by the Muslim invasion. Northern and Eastern Europe were still mostly pagan and as yet untouched by Christian or Latin influences. The Byzantines became more and more distant from Latin culture and were hardly touched by Germanic influences. So, to put i
